Pope Gelasius declared Feb. 14 as St. Valentine’s Day in 496 AD, and the rest is this history.

Valentine’s Day traces its roots back to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility festival that was commemorated annually on Feb. 15. In 496, Pope Gelasius I transformed the holiday into St ...

Valentine’s Day may be associated with romance, but the history of the holiday isn’t exactly lovey-dovey. Here are the facts you may not know—plus, fun ideas for Valentine's Day 2025.

Valentine’s Day, a celebration of love wrapped in candy hearts, roses and chocolates, traces back to St. Valentine. But the origins are far more complex — and darker than the chocolate we ...

How did Valentine's Day begin? According to History.com, during the third century in Rome, ... Eventually, Lupercalia was banned and Feb. 14 was deemed as "St. Valentine's Day." ...

The history of Valentine’s Day, and the story of St. Valentine, is a mysterious one. ADVERTISEMENT “The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus ...

Pope Gelasius I is said to have replaced the Roman fertility festival of Lupercalia with St. Valentine's Day in the fifth century. The first mass-produced valentines were sold in the 1840s.

At the end of the 5th century, the celebration of Lupercalia was forbidden by Pope Gelasius I, who is often attributed with replacing it with St. Valentine’s Day, according to Britannica.

Valentine's Day has a history shrouded in mystery. As NPR reported in 2022, s ome people trace the origins of Valentine's Day to Lupercalia, a brutal fertility festival held in ancient Rome in mid ...

Seven men were gunned down in the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago in 1929, a hit believed ordered by Al Capone in an attempt to wipe out rival George "Bugs" Moran. (Chicago Tribune archive) ...